Brotherhood of Fire

by N. C. Reed

  “Clay, you have to go after her!” Robert all but demanded. “You can't let her do this alone!”

  “She's not going to do anything other than get herself killed or else join her friend,” Clay's voice was bitter. “And going after her won't do any good if we can't catch her. She 'll be too far ahead of us by now. Probably half-way to Jordan even as we stand here. She had her foot in the carburetor when she left.”

  “On the floor…it sounded and looked like,” Barnes nodded his agreement.

  “So, you're going to abandon her just like you did Samantha Walters?” Robert demanded. Clay was white hot in an instant.

  “How the hell do you figure I 'abandoned' Samantha Walters, Robert?” he ground out. “How is it that you claim that? And I didn't 'abandon' Abigail, comes to that. She was as safe and secure as we can make her, right here. She chose to leave and tear off on her own because she can't deal with a dose of reality. I didn't cause this.”

  “You can't let her do this, Clayton!” Angela insisted.

  “How is it that I'm the one who can't let her do something?” Clay asked his mother. “Where were you, Robert and Patricia when she decided to do this, Mom? Huh? How is it that all of you can stand here and lump responsibility for this onto me? And I'm still waiting to hear how you figure I abandoned Abigail, let alone Samantha Walters,” he added, turning to Robert.

  “If you had gone after Samantha yourself, she would never have-”

  “I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WALTERS GIRL!” Clay yelled at the top of his lungs. He was completely fed up with hearing that. “I didn't put her where she is and I didn't assume responsibility for her! And Abigail is supposed to be a grownup! How is it that I'm the one somehow responsible for her when she's got two parents and two grandparents right here on this farm? How is it that all of you get to skip over that fact and automatically lay responsibility for her on to me?”

  “Don't raise your voice at me, Clayton Sanders,” Angela shot back flatly. “I don't appreciate being spoken to as if-”

  “Get out,” Clay's voice was tinged with both bitterness and rage as he cut his mother's spiel off before it could get started good. “All three of you, get out of my home and do it right now,” he pointed to the door. “I will not have you stand here in my own home and talk down to me, dumping your responsibility at my doorstep. Get out or so help me I 'll throw you out.”

  “I said don't speak to m-”

  “GET OUT!” Clay practically screamed in his mother's face, his own face purple with rage. “I've had it! You don't get to talk to me like that anymore today! I've done everything you asked me to do whether I liked it or not and all I've gotten for it is a sore elbow and now this. So, get out. Don't bother coming back, any of you,” he looked pointedly at his mother, “until you can at least treat me as decently as you do each other. Now get!” He punctuated that last part with a shove that moved his mother, brother and sister-in-law all three onto his porch, promptly slamming the door in their face.

  Robert and Patricia retreated at once in the face of Clay's obvious anger while Angela remained for a moment longer, staring at her son's front door in somewhat of a daze. She finally managed to shake herself from that daze and follow them down the steps. She hadn't brought a light herself and needed theirs to get home.

  -

  Behind them a now trembling Clayton Sanders sat down on his couch and cradled his face in his palms, fighting down the urge to tear and destroy that came with the white-hot anger he was feeling.

  “Uh, I need to get back on patrol,” Barnes said into the resulting silence. “Any orders, sir?” he tried to break Clay out of his funk. He knew it was dangerous to leave his CO in such a state.

  “No,” Clay's voice was hollow. “You're in command now,” he added as an afterthought.

  “Sir?”

  “You 'll have to take over,” Clay's voice was wooden as he stood again, heading for his bedroom. “It's up to you now.” With that he went into his bedroom and closed the door.

  “This is bad,” he told Lainie as he took the cup of coffee she offered him in silence.

  “I'm at a loss as to why everything has to be his responsibility,” she admitted softly. “They do this every time it seems like.”

  “That ain't what I mean, begging your pardon,” Barnes shook his head. “I mean his behavior is bad. A bad sign if you will,” he clarified when Lainie frowned in puzzlement.

  “Sign of what?” she asked.

  “He's decided to do something stupid,” Barnes told her flatly.

  “Define 'stupid',” she told him. “I mean as you're using it right this minute.”

  “Meaning he's probably going after his niece and intends to go alone,” Barnes told her honestly. “Without telling the rest of us, or letting us go along.”

  “He can't do that!” Lainie gasped. “I…he can't!”

  “Well, unfortunately he can,” Barnes sighed. “I don't know what all you know about the Lieutenant, Miss Harper, but. . .he is not someone to take lightly. On the list of people who could go into that town alone and stand a chance of walking out again, he would be near the top.”

  “He's that good?” she asked in lieu of knowing what else to say.

  “In short, yes,” Barnes nodded. “I have to go,” he told her, setting down the cup she'd handed him without ever having tasted it.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, following him to the door.

  “To roust out the others,” he told her plainly. “He 'll be mad, but he 'll get over it,” he added with a wry grin. “We won't let him go alone, regardless of what he wants or intends.”

  “None of you should be going,” Lainie told him flatly. “This is her fault. No one else should pay for it.”

  “She's just a kid,” Barnes shrugged, unwilling to say anything too bad about his Bossman's niece. “Kids do dumb shit.”

  “She's twenty-one, somewhere around there,” Lainie pointed out. “When you were her age, what were you doing?” she asked him, remembering something Clay had told her once about himself at that age.

  “I was doing infil work in Northern Iraq, looking for ISIS leaders,” Barnes admitted after a few seconds hesitation. “Used to not be able to say that,” he added after another short pause. “Don't guess secrets matter much anymore. Anyway, being in a combat zone adds years in a hurry. You smarten up or you die.”

  “I'd think a young woman who fights fires for a living would smarten up a bit,” Lainie's voice was just a tad bitter.

  “You'd think,” Barnes nodded in agreement. “I 'll try that coffee another time, Miss Harper,” he smiled slightly. “I gotta go.”

  “Thank you, Mister Barnes,” Lainie said softly. “For watching out for him.”

  “That's what sergeants is for Miss Harper,” Barnes chuckled. “That's what sergeants is for.”

  -

  Lainie was sitting on the sofa, coffee cup in hand, when Clay walked out of the bedroom, dressed now in his Skull and Bones.

  “I don't want you to go,” she told him calmly.

  “Go where?” Clay feigned ignorance but it was fake and they both knew it.

  “I don't want you to go after her,” Lainie said plainly. “I know she's your niece and that you care very deeply for her, but she did this to herself, Clay. She's supposed to be an adult, she needs to act like one, and that includes accepting responsibility for her actions. Even stupid ones.”

  “That is all true,” he nodded, sighing. “And truth is I should do just that and leave her to whatever fate is waiting for her.”

  “Then, why don't you?” Lainie asked, already knowing the answer.

  “She's my family,” he shrugged. “I can't leave her there to face whatever is there. I have to go and get her.”

  “And when she gets you killed?” Lainie asked him. “What happens to me, Clay? Your family hates me, you know. What do I do when you're gone and I'm here all alone?”

  “First off, I'm not going to die,” Clay told her. “Secondly
, should the worst happen and I do die, you won't be alone. Leon won't allow them to give you a hard time, for one thing. For another, the rest of my bunch won't abandon you, no matter what. You won't be alone and won't have to face anything by yourself. So, stop worrying.”

  “Right,” she snorted, getting to her feet and crossing to where he stood. “Please,” she almost whispered as she leaned into him. “I'm begging you, Clay. Don't do this.”

  “I have to,” he told her simply. “I'd do it for you too, you know,” he smiled slightly.

  “You wouldn't have to do it for me,” Lainie told him, her voice void of any real emotion. “I'd never put you in this position. Ever.”

  “And that's one of the reasons I'd do it for you, no matter what. And one of the reasons I love you so much,” he rested his forehead on hers for a moment, then pulled back.

  “I have to go,” he told her. “Every minute I wait is another minute for her to get into trouble. I need every minute I can get.” He kissed her gently and she hugged him as tightly as she could.

  “Please don't go,” she said once more. “Please.”

  “I 'll be back,” he said rather than tell her again that he had to. “Keep the fire burning for me,” he winked at her and then was gone, his steps echoing down the stairs to the basement.

  She refused to allow herself to cry until she heard the massive Hummer leave the basement garage and move down the drive. At that point, she collapsed onto the sofa and wrapped in on herself, tears falling freely.

  She pulled a blanket over to her and cocooned herself inside it, hunkering down to keep warm. Curled up in a ball, she proceeded to cry herself to sleep.

  CHAPTER SIX

  -

  True to his word, John Barnes had hustled back to his side of the cut, having ordered Tommy to wake everyone and have them gear up for extended action, which for them meant full gear and extra ammunition. By the time he got there the group was well on the way to being ready to depart. Years of having to be ready at a moment's notice enabled them to get themselves together without any real trouble.

  “What's the word, Bear?” Nolan asked, having come down from the cupola for the briefing.

  “Bossman's niece has flown the coop,” Barnes told them, though by now Thompson and Nolan had spread that word. “He's about to pursue and intends to go it alone. I don't intend to allow that,” he said bluntly. “Anyone else wants in, now would be the time.”

  “I'm in,” five voices said all at once.

  “No, not all of us,” Barnes shook his head. “While I'm pleased everyone wants to go, we can't leave this place uncovered. Mitch, back to the cupola. You've already been on watch a while. You can go next time,” he promised a grousing Nolan.

  “I'm holding you to that,” Nolan promised as he climbed the stairs back to his lookout.

  “Nate, you got patrol in my place and command until we return,” Barnes ordered.

  “What?” a nearly outraged Caudell replied. “Why me?” he demanded, taking two steps forward before catching himself.

  “You know why,” Barnes told him with a snort. “Now get your ass geared up and start making rounds. That's an order, soldier,” he added when Caudell looked as if he was going to buck up.

  “Fine,” Caudell muttered as he returned to where the rest of his gear lay waiting. “This is bullshit,” the rest could barely hear his muttered complaint.

  “If the rest of you want in then gear up,” he told the remaining three of Thompson, Maseo and Juarez. “I'll get the rig. Nate, break out the Nineteen before you go, and a couple boxes of ammo. We need clay-mores and frags, too. And two smokes apiece. Five minutes and we're mobile so move!” the last word was more barked than spoken and the three hustled to get outfitted.

  Barnes waited a few seconds to see that his orders were being followed before heading to pick up the MRAP they had been using.

  -

  Clay started down the long driveway in the dark, not bothering with the lights since he was wearing his night vision goggles. His mind was a swirl of emotions at the moment, alternating between flat out rage at how stupid his niece was, fury at how his mother and brother seemed to think it was somehow Clay's fault that the Walters girl was captured and that Abigail had ran off on her own. Added to that was worry over Abigail running head first into a nest of vipers with no idea what she was getting into or setting herself up for if she happened to be caught.

  What had happened to his smooth plan to have everything they needed and hunker down until society managed to reset itself? His family, including his extended family at the Troy farm, were all supposed to be safe and sound right here, waiting for things to settle into whatever they did. When the reset was over, they could emerge and rebuild alongside everyone else, contributing as needed while ensuring that future generations of Sanders would not be destitute. That was a hell of a good plan he had thought.

  So how had things gotten so screwed up, so quickly?

  No plan survives contact with the enemy, he sighed, remembering something that had been drilled into him. Other than this incident, the crap at the church building was a direct result of his mother not adhering to the plan. Well, to be fair it had been most of the family including Leon, oddly enough. That had surprised him, but there was never any telling what Leon would do in a given situation. Clay sometimes suspected that Leon deliberately did the exact opposite of what was expected just to be contra-

  “Jesu-!” Clay bit off an exclamation as he was jolted from his rumination by almost running over a spectral figure in the driveway. He sat there slightly stunned as the figure walked to the passenger door and opened it.

  “Going my way?” Gordy Sanders asked, rifle in hand. “I hear Abigail lost her damn mind and ran off a minute ago.”

  -

  Gordy Sanders was not a typical 'dumb jock'.

  For one thing, he wasn't dumb. While freely admitting that he was not as smart as the Duo, and perhaps not quite on par with his sister, that in no way made him dumb. His generation of the Sanders family had truly been blessed with intelligence of a near higher order.

  Unfortunately, that intelligence had not come with a healthy dose of common sense where his sister and cousins were concerned. Gordy didn't know why things were that way. He considered himself to have a fine grasp of common sense and couldn't imagine how the other three had missed out. But clearly, they had at least to some extent.

  Evidenced by his sister's insane idea to run off in the middle of the night to a town controlled by gang members and God only knew who else, to rescue a friend who should have had the sense to run when the running was good. Not that Gordy had anything against Samantha Walters, since he didn't. In fact, she had been one of the few older girls in high school to catch his eye.

  But Abigail running off like this to 'save' her friend made absolutely no sense to him whatever. Uncle Clay had told her it couldn't be done and he was the expert, right? It wasn't their fault that the town was in the shape it was, or that some well organized gang had overtaken it. From what he had heard, both the chief of police and the sheriff were in on the whole thing, so if anything, the blame lay with them.

  And yet his entire immediate family somehow decided that it was Uncle Clay's fault for some reason that Gordy could not fathom. Believing he knew his Uncle Clay pretty well at this point, Gordy had ignored his parent's arguing and donned the clothing that he'd been given, the 'Skull and Bones' of CTG 31. Taking his rifle and the equipment he'd been supplied with, Gordy had made his way to the drive, waiting for the expected arrival of-

  And there it was. A black Hummer coming right at him out of the dark. Coming much faster than Gordy had expected it. Much faster and showing no signs of slowing. Uncle Clay had to be wearing night vision, right? He couldn't be driving without lights and NVG both could he? So, he had to be able to see Gordy standing there, right? Right? As the massive vehicle drew quickly closer, Gordy had an interesting thought;

  Maybe I don't have as much common sense as I t
hought.

  “Holy shi-” his expletive was cut off as the Hummer jerked to a halt a mere two yards from him. Trying to appear calm and cool, Gordy walked slowly to the passenger door and opened it, revealing his Uncle Clay's shocked look.

  “Going my way?” was the best Gordy could come up with. “I hear Abigail lost her damn mind and ran off a minute ago,” he added, trying to smile but only managing a weak grin. His Uncle Clay looked at him in silence for several seconds before finally speaking.

  “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

  -

  “What the hell is wrong with you!?” Clay yelled at his nephew. “Standing out here in the pitch dark in the middle of the road like that? What the hell are you thinking you idiot!”

  “Uh, sorry about that?” Gordy offered as he climbed inside the Hummer and closed the door. “I didn't want to attract any attention so I figured you'd be coming down the drive any minute and I'd wait for you.”

  “Wait for me to what?” Clay demanded, calmly a bit. “And where the hell do you think you're going?” he added almost as an afterthought.

  “With you to get my stupid sister,” Gordy replied calmly.

  “You are absolutely not going with me,” Clay told his nephew evenly, fighting the urge to scream. “Not. Going. To happen. Now get your ass out of this vehicle and back home where you belong.”

  “Nope,” Gordy just shook his head and stayed where he was. “I'm going. My sister caused all this and someone in my family has to help fix it. Even if Mom was able she's too valuable to risk. And Dad? Well…let’s just agree that my dad's help would be questionable at best. Whereas I,” he jabbed his vest with a thumb, “take orders just fine and don't argue about them, am a good shot, and you already know I'm dependable. So, I'm elected.”

  “This isn't a democracy so your election don't mean shit,” Clay ground out. “Now get the hell out of here! I'm in a damn hurry and you're wasting time.”